Rail fence flag holder

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a fence flag holder used to display smaller sized flags, banners or pennants on the rail of vinyl fences and/or wood fences for decorative purposes. The flag holder is a “u-shaped” hook design comprising of a one-piece molded plastic bracket with a tube on the front to hold the flag shaft and display the flag at a forty-five (45) degree angle. The flag holder fits over the rail of a fence allowing the flag to be displayed at special times of the year and to be removed easily for storage when not in use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/333,061, filed Nov.26, 2001 and titled “Fence clip” and incorporated herein by reference. Related applications include U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/333,006, filed Nov.26, 2001, titled “Post clip”, and Ser. No. 60/349,284, filed Jan. 17, 2002, titled “Wall clip”.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

[0003] Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates generally to flag accessories, holders and brackets, and more particularly, to a holder which can be attached over the rail of vinyl or wood fences. During festive times and national holidays, it is desirable to display flags of many sorts. There are many various patents for flag holding devices, but most are for the standard 3′×5′ or 4′×6′ flags and have not focused on the smaller flags, banners or pennants such as the memorial size flag (12″×16″) or smaller. The standard size flags and flag holders look out of place when used on fences as they are too large. Most available flag holders require holes to be drilled on to the surface to which they are attached, but owners of vinyl fences usually do not want holes drilled into the vinyl surface, therefore leaving them with no practical means to attach flags to the fence, other than with duct tape, or other means which are not aesthetically pleasing.

[0005] The present flag holder is detachably mounted over the rail of the fence by means of a u-shaped hook, allowing the flag, banner, or pennant to be displayed at special times of the year without damaging the surface of the fence, and to be removed easily for storage when not in use.

[0006] Various patents have proposed different methods of displaying flags by attaching them to flat surfaces, by means of drilling holes into the surface and attaching with screws or other fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,731 to Lach, describes a flag pole bracket which must be attached to a flat surface by means of screws. U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,856 to Neely & Shriner describes a rail bracket flag holder, but this application merely provides a base to attach a conventional flag holder with bolts and wing nuts. Other previous patents for flag holders include U.S. Pat. No. 466,960 to Bert & Widmayer, U.S. Pat. No. 1,053,255 to Ward, U.S. Pat. No. 1,198,840 to Hanck & David, U.S. Pat. No. 1,632,726 to Conklin, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,278 to Burke. However none of these apply directly to attaching the holder to a fence rail. A design for a flag pole assembly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,608 to Burke also requires a bracket to be attached with screws to the desired surface.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,207 to Adamaitis describes a flag holder attached to a pole or a tree by means of straps, but this would be impractical for use on fence rails.

[0008] Patents for attaching decorative articles for display by means of hooking them over a door or a rail include U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,517 to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,030 B1 to Hepworth, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,365 to Catanzarite et al, but these relate to articles which are suspended from the device, rather than inserted into a sheath, such as a flag staff.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention is a holder used to display smaller sized flags, banners or pennants on the rail of vinyl or wood fences without defacing or devaluing the surface of the fence, due to using a u-shaped hook to attach the holder to the fence. It is an objective of the present invention to be easily mounted or dismounted for display and storage purposes. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a fence flag holder that is easy to use, stable, durable and reliable. It is a further objective of the present invention to be made of one-piece molded (ABS) durable plastic material which is aesthetically pleasing and simple in appearance and which will last for years of use. The fence flag holder can be produced in various colors to match the different colors of fences.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 is a 3-dimensional perspective view of the one-piece molded plastic flag holder on the top rail of a fence.

[0011]FIG. 2 is a front view showing the tube which holds wood dowel shaft of a flag, banner or pennant attached to the vertical support surface plate.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a top view looking down upon the horizontal top support surface plate of the one-piece molded plastic flag holder. It is a perspective view showing the top of the “u-shaped” flag holder and the flag shaft holding tube with its support brace.

[0013]FIG. 4 is a side view of the one-piece molded plastic flag holder showing the flag shaft tube holder and the support brace which attaches to the “u-shaped” flag holder. FIG. 6 shows the placement of double-sided adhesive mounting tape A, and the pre-cast pilot hole on the back side of the “u-shape” flag holder B.

[0014]FIG. 5 is the perspective view of the back vertical support surface plate of the one-piece molded plastic flag holder showing the length of the back lip of the “u-shaped” flag holder with a pre-cast hole for anchoring the flag holder to a wood fence for non-movement. It also shows the open smooth-bored tube which holds the flag shaft on the front vertical support surface plate.

[0015]FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the placement of the double-sided adhesive mounting tape for non-movement on a vinyl fence.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A. Overview

[0017]FIG. 1 illustrates a complete perspective 3-dimensional overall view of the fence flag holder as attached to a top rail of a fence 9,10,11. It depicts the “u-shape” flag holder 1,2,3 with the flag shaft holding tube 4 attached by the support brace 6 to the face of the vertical support surface plate 1 of the fence flag holder. FIG. 1, also shows the tape insertion slot A located on the inside of the back vertical support surface plate 3 for a double-sided adhesive mounting tape (to be added). The tape to be used for non-movement purposes if a “teeter-totter” effect happens caused by the wind. FIG. 1 also shows the placement of a pre-cast pilot hole B located on the inside of the back vertical support surface plate 3 for the same purpose, except for use with a wood fence.

[0018] B. Structure

[0019] The fence flag holder is tooled and died for a solid one-piece (ABS-Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic injection mold. There are many other types of materials that could be used which would generate the same form, fit and function, but not necessarily the same durability. The injection mold process uses raw plastic material which is heated in a chamber until it reaches its melting point. It is then injected into a mold where it is allowed to cool to become solid and then it is ejected from the mold.

[0020]FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the front view of the fence flag holder vertical support surface plate 1 and an opened 5 smooth-bored tube 4 for holding a flag shaft 10.

[0021]FIG. 3 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the top horizontal support surface plate view of the fence flag holder 2 with the flag shaft holder opened 5 smooth-bored tube 4. It also shows the top of the support brace 6 attached to the smooth-bored tube 4 and the vertical support surface plate 1.

[0022]FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the side view of the fence flag holder. It shows the opened 5 smooth-bored tube 4 which holds the flag shaft 10 and is opened 5 and continuing all the entire length through the front vertical support surface plate 1 of the flag holder. It also illustrates the support brace 6 connecting the flag shaft holding tube 4 to the vertical support surface plate 1 at a forty-five (45) degree angle from the tube 4 to the front vertical support surface plate 1. It shows the “u-shaped design” 1,2,3 of the entire embodiment being at ninety (90) degree angles with the top horizontal support surface plate 2. The ninety (90) degree angles are ⅛ inch radial typical smooth corners 7. The fence flag holder 1,2,3,4,6, is to be approximately ⅛ inch thick. FIG. 6 is a cross section of the inside of the back vertical support surface plate 3.

[0023]FIG. 5 illustrates the outside back view of the fence flag holder having a partial view of the back side of the front vertical support surface plate 1. It shows the placement of the pre-cast pilot hole B centered from the bottom of the back vertical support surface plate 3. It also shows the placement of the opening 5 of the smooth-bored tube extruding through the vertical support surface plate 1.

[0024]FIG. 6 illustrates the inside view of the back vertical support surface plate 3. A shows the placement of the insertion slot for double-sided adhesive mounting tape. 

What is claimed, as being new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:
 1. A fence flag holder for smaller sized flags, banners or pennants, intended to be mounted on a rail of a fence in a manner which can easily be removed comprising: a. A one piece molded plastic “u-shaped” hook holder comprising: b. An angled smooth-bored tube attached to the front vertical support surface plate; c. A horizontal top support surface plate d. A back vertical support surface plate
 2. A support brace which is attached to the angled smooth-bored tube and front vertical support surface plate.
 3. The angled tube as in claim 1, has an open smooth-bore extending through the front vertical support surface plate to receive a wood dowel shaft of a flag, banner, or pennant, and to allow any moisture to exit.
 4. The back vertical support surface plate as in claim 1, wherein further comprises: a. A molded rectangular slot, (for double-sided adhesive mounting tape for attachment on vinyl fences) on the inside of the vertical support surface plate. b. A pre-cast pilot hole, (for drilling and screw placement on wood fences), on the back of the vertical support surface plate. 